Favourite Past Times

Your spare time is a luxury and should be savoured. If you have a hobby or past time that you enjoy you’ll cherish your spare time and will look forward to every opportunity to fulfill your hobby. If you're not sure what past time you would most enjoy, here are some ideas.

Music has always been a popular choice and can be very relaxing. There is much to be learnt about any style of music from composers, to famous melodies and the history of performers past and present. You may develop sophisticated tastes in jazz or classical music or start collecting vinyl records and CD's. Music makes a great past time or hobby that will give you countless hours of enjoyment.

Keeping animals is very popular and pets of all sorts can become your hobby. If you like the idea of keeping birds you can try keeping canaries, a budgie, parrot or cockatiel. For those who live in the country you can even try raising ornamental chickens, pigeons, or pheasants. You don’t have to live in the county to keep hens and bantams. A garden and pen is all you need to get started with your first hens plus you’ll get freshly laid eggs in return. It is very interesting to watch a mother bird take care of a nest of young chicks and a great experience for kids. Perhaps you can even raise some prizewinners!

Dog owners are known as some of the fittest people around so getting one will help keep you in shape and become a loyal companion. Show dogs may require a lot of investment, but you can usually come by puppies for free. There is also the aspect of training a dog in obedience. Dogs give a lot of love back to their owners, too, so if you start a past time hobby of caring for a dog, you will never be lonely. Dogs require quite a bit of work and attention, especially when they are being trained, so keeping dogs is not for everyone.

The tour de France season reminds us of how successful dedicated cyclists can become and remains one of the most popular past times in the UK. Hobby cyclists are becoming more and more common to see cycling along lesser-traveled roads seeing the countryside up close and personal. Cycling requires a helmet and suitable clothes as well as a small tool kit for roadside repairs. Maybe you would enjoy cycling on a smaller scale, simply taking fun rides with your family. The choice is yours.

The world is full of interesting things to learn and do. TV can be entertaining but real life hobbies are ultimately more fun and better for your mind and body. In fact, it might even keep you from going senile in your old age, if you stay active in a past time hobby. And it's a good example to our kids and grandkids if we spend our time doing something meaningful.